Puritan vision of future America as a New Jerusalem

The Pilgrims dreamed of establishing a new “Jerusalem” in which they could live in peace and brotherhood while waiting for the second coming of Christ. They believed their duty was to convert Native people to Christianity and assimilate them into the English way of life.

Puritans saw themselves as Jews who wanted to build a state with fair laws and give other nations an example to follow.

The New Jerusalem is the fulfillment of all God’s promises and exemplifies

His goodness. The Apostle John gives his final vision in Revelation of the Holy City for all those who believe in Jesus Christ and are covered by His blood to dwell with Him forever.

The idea of the New Jerusalem arises from very powerful and moving descriptions in the Book of Revelation that in the last days, literally a New Jerusalem, a new heaven and a new earth, shall be created. The old earth shall pass away and shall be no more. These are tremendously powerful images. And New England Puritans--at least some of their leaders--were convinced that this moment had come; that God was preparing the way for the creation of this New Jerusalem in New England.

The notion that America was the New Jerusalem was something that had to be asserted with some modesty. Americans still were very much provincial and aware of the fact that they were on the periphery of what they considered civilization. To confidently assert that this is the New Jerusalem is something that most of them would not say baldly. But they couldn't help thinking, you know: Here we are. Even though we're at the edge of civilization, perhaps this is the New Jerusalem. For them, it really was this sense of a kingdom of believers whose conduct and whose vision of salvation would come to define a kind of holy commonwealth.

When the Puritans talked about founding the New Jerusalem in the American colony, they're really harking to the language of the Book of Revelation. Revelation 21:10 talks about Jerusalem descending from the heavens at the end of times. They see themselves really as bringing the last days, the end of time, into reality by founding this new religious experiment.

In their view, the real Jerusalem, the historical Jerusalem, is a long way away. They don't worry about that. God can do it here. God will bring it now. It's the perfect spiritual city that they're looking for. But in reality, they think it's going to be their own backyard, in the Americas.

Puritan perception of American as New Adam

There was this idea that Americans are the new Adam and the new Eve. They are these new people, and they're being made by this new environment. And that's what they're sort of straining toward early on, some new kind of narrative, some new kind of story that Americans can tell that is going to be a story of them in relationship to God.

The whole point of reformation was to make Christianity right, to bring it back to the beginning, bring it back to its pure origins, bring it back to the Bible. Puritans were going to purify the church.

Puritans made a covenant with God. Covenant theology asserts that when God created Adam and Eve he promised them eternal life in return for perfect obedience; this promise was termed the covenant of works. After the fall of man, human nature was corrupted by original sin and unable to fulfill the covenant of works. Based on Biblical portrayals of Adam and Eve, Puritans believed that marriage was rooted in procreation, love, and, most importantly, salvation.

But for Puritans, being "saved'' could never be guaranteed. Since Adam's fall, man was born damned, hell his destiny. The only hope of God's salvation required Puritans to devote themselves to studying their Bible and to live a pious life. To understand God's will was a lifetime's struggle. Puritans were supposed to wrestle with this idea. They were never supposed to be sure that they are saved.

кароче, как я поняла: The whole point of reformation was to make Christianity right, to bring it back to the beginning, bring it back to its pure origins, bring it back to the Bible. And the Church of England wasn't doing enough of that. And so that's where they got their name from, the Puritans. They were going to purify the church. и английская церковь ничего не делала, поэтому они направились в Америку, чтобы там заключить этот ковенант с богом и типа американец станет новым адамом. Этот адам будет совершенно послушным, а бог за это подарит пуританцам вечную жизнь

(and the English church didn't do anything, so they went to America to make this covenant there with God and like the American would become the new Adam. This Adam will be completely obedient, and God will give the Puritans eternal life for this.)